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Sunday, February 17, 2013

Meyer lemon cranberry scones

Wow, it has been a long time since my last post...I've been cooking a lot but haven't really been inspired to blog about any of it. But I was recently reminded of how nice it is to share recipes and food stories with others and it made me want to get back here and post something. And between the snowy weather this weekend and the fact that I've been down with a cold, I've been spending a lot of time on the couch paging through cookbooks and bookmarking recipes. I've got quite a list of things I want to try in the next couple weeks, and hopefully some of the recipes will be good enough to share!

I don't know about you, but snowy days make me want to bake. The apartment just seems extra warm and inviting when it is filled with the scent of baked goods. I came across this recipe when I was looking for something to bake using the Meyer lemons that I recently bought. If you haven't tried them, Meyer lemons are sweeter and more aromatic than regular lemons. They're only in season for a few months, so I try to grab them when I see them. The Meyer lemons work beautifully with the cranberries in these scones. The scones are fragrant and light, and have just the right amount of sweetness to offset the tart fruit. They're perfect for breakfast or as an afternoon snack with a cup of tea.

If you don't have Meyer lemons, you can use regular lemons or oranges.

2 tbs Meyer lemon zest

2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour (or all-purpose)

1/2 cup plus 3 tbs sugar

1 tbs baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 stick (6 tbs) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 400 deg F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat mat.

Combine lemon zest, flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to mix the dry ingredients. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. In a small bowl, toss the chopped cranberries with the remaining 3 tbs sugar. Add the cranberries to the food processor and pulse just a couple times to mix (don't overdo it - you don't want to cut up the cranberries too much). In another small bowl, lightly beat the egg and egg yolk and then whisk in the cream. Add the liquids to the food processor and pulse a couple times, until the mixture comes together into a wet dough.

Turn the dough out onto a well floured surface. With floured hands, pat the dough into a square. Cut the square into 16 equal pieces. Lightly shape each piece into a ball (be gentle here and don't work the dough too much) and place on the baking sheet, with about an inch of space between each piece.

Bake scones in the preheated oven until they are golden, about 20 minutes.